Results 261-280 of 9,065 for speaker:James Browne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 577, 578 and 585 together. The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 came into operation on 1 January 2016 and allows tenants of local authority houses to apply to purchase their home. The scheme is governed by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended, and is open to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 580 and 581 together. My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q1 2025 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website,...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2024, is available on my Department's website, along with all summaries since 2011 at...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock, which will fluctuate over time, as tenancy surrender and re-letting of stock is a rolling process. Therefore, ongoing data in relation to vacant local authority owned homes is not routinely collated by my Department. Notwithstanding that, statistics in relation to social housing stock, at a point in time, are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Social Housing is delivered through a range of Local Authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) delivery programmes. Capital expenditure on the delivery of new social homes is also supported by current funding provided through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). My Department does not provide specific allocations to local authorities, rather funding for housing...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Since the publication of the current Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in 2005 (which continue to have effect in addition to subsequent clarifications and national policy changes in the National Planning Framework) there have been important changes to our planning system. Most notably, obligations under European Directives and international agreements relating to the management and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 587 to 592, inclusive, together. The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross-Departmental and multi-agency issue, with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims rests with my colleague the Minister for Justice working in...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Vacant Properties (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Development Contributions (30 Sep 2025)

James Browne: On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Political Funding (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Electoral Act 1997 (as amended) provides the statutory framework for dealing with political financing and sets out the regulatory regime covering a wide range of inter-related issues such as the funding of political parties; the reimbursement of election expenses; the establishment of election expenditure limits; the disclosure of election expenditure; the setting of limits on permissible...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Political Funding (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Electoral Act 1997 (as amended) provides the statutory framework for dealing with political financing and sets out the regulatory regime covering a wide range of inter-related issues such as, among other matters, the reimbursement of election expenses; the establishment of election expenditure limits; the disclosure of election expenditure; as well as the acceptance and disclosure of...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the current grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023. The 2022 Act sets out the role of the Housing Agency which acts as agent on behalf of the local authorities under the terms of the Scheme. As previously outlined the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns umbrella, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Cost Rental legislation, set out in Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and associated Regulations, does not require landlords to exclude from cost rental eligibility those who own a property. The legislation does, however, give Cost Rental landlords a significant degree of flexibility and discretion when advertising Cost Rental homes and accepting applications, in order to promote...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: As Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage, my role in relation to the planning system is, primarily, to provide a policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities, including An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Commission) and the Office of the Planning Regulator (the OPR) perform their statutory planning functions. The Environmental Impact...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023. The Act also provides for the Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Social Homes Scheme. This is a scheme for the purpose of enabling a designated local authority or an Approved...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: My Department keeps costs relating to the DCB Scheme under continuous review. Following updated cost reports from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and advice from the Expert Group established to consider the matter, a further increase from the original grant rates set down in the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act),...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Planning Issues (25 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Section 66 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) refers to the establishment of subsidiary companies by local authorities. Section 66(4)(i) provides that a local authority may “enter into such contracts and make such other arrangements (including the incorporation of one or more than one company) as the authority considers necessary or expedient either alone or jointly with...

Child Poverty and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Would they cut money from our hospitals or from the roads budget?

Child Poverty and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2025)

James Browne: Where are they going to take the money from?